CI$550K added to housing repairs budget
(CNS): Cabinet has approved an additional CI$550,000 for a second Housing Repairs Assistance Programme to help people who don’t have the means to repair their homes. The government has also authorised the National Housing and Development Trust (NHDT) to use $1.6 million of its budget to do the same thing for people not eligible for the HRA Programme, making a total of $2.15 million of government funds dedicated to home repairs. The additional funds were approved despite Premier Wayne Panton’s request to civil servants that they help cut over CI$47 million from the 2023 spending plan.
Panton is currently on vacation and was not present at a special caucus meeting on Tuesday, but officials said that he supports the additional funding. The special meeting was called by Acting Premier Juliana O’Connor-Connolly, who said in a release that she was happy to call the special caucus meeting to consider the second HRA Programme.
The first programme was launched last year when the Ministry of Social Development, which administers the initiative, gave $1.5 million to the R3 Cayman Foundation to conduct the repairs, as the charity was already doing similar work. Officials said that since May 2021, the first HRA Programme had repaired 88 homes in Grand Cayman. It is unclear if the R3 Foundation will still be doing the work for this additional $550,000.
This programme provides housing repair assistance to Caymanians who are financially supported by the government and are elderly or disabled or have children who are in need, as per section 19 of the Children Act (2012 Revision).
Referrals that are beyond the scope of the HRA programme will be handled by the NHDT. According to the release, “To maximise combined efforts, NHDT will focus primarily on housing repair cases where applicants are ineligible for HRA assistance (e.g. household is not deemed as ‘indigent’ according to the Needs Assessment Criteria, the estimated amount, if the complexity of repairs is beyond the HRA remit, or if the applicant‘s home is insured but the homeowner cannot afford the deductible).”
Housing Minister Jay Ebanks said the government believes “that having a dry and safe home is critical to the well-being of our Caymanian families. In addition to authorising the NHDT to utilise up to CI$1,100,000 of their budget for home repairs, today we also approved an additional CI$500,000 for a total of CI$1,600,000.”
The NHDT will collaborate with the HRA Programme and the Ministry of Social Development regarding housing repair across Grand Cayman. The Sister Islands have their own existing repair programme under the Ministry of District Administration.
Commenting on the additional $550,000 that Cabinet approved for the HRA Programme, O’Connor-Connolly said, “Keeping Caymanian families safe, secure and comfortable in their homes is a priority of our administration. This approval reflects our commitment to that priority. This money will enable the most vulnerable Caymanian families to make their households safe and secure.”
Social Development Minister André Ebanks said he was grateful for Cabinet’s approval of the extra funds for the HRA Programme. “We are determined to assist Caymanian families who would not otherwise be able to afford the necessary repairs to maintain a dry, healthy, safe and liveable environment for them and their families.”
Although the premier has said that public spending needs to be cut by around 8.5% for the remaining four months of the year, in a short statement issued Wednesday he confirmed that the government was not cutting services or programmes to help local people.
“We continue to focus on the cost of living, traffic, education, housing, healthcare, facilitating a strong and resilient economy and ensuring our natural and built environment can support thriving communities,” he said. “We continue to put the Caymanian people front and centre of all our decision-making. Positive financial outcomes should not simply be left to chance; they need to be carefully planned and managed and even more so with an organisation as large as a government.”
He said careful planning and management may not be a guarantee for budget compliance, but whatever the outcomes, they are required to be published within a framework of statutory reporting requirements to facilitate full transparency for the public.
The directive to cut spending was issued to senior civil servants in a memo entitled “Operating Expenditures for 2023”, which was leaked to the media.
Confirming that he had sent the memo, Panton said, “Issuing the memo was the responsible action to take, and guidance memos are hardly unusual in government. The $977 million target sought for Operating Expenditures for the 2023 financial year is realistic and reasonable, considering that such expenditures totalled approximately $970 million in 2022.”
Taking aim at whoever had leaked the memo, he said, “Although it is unfortunate that some may take their oaths of confidentiality lightly, it is more important that whoever shared that memo with the public is implementing the adjustments suggested in the memo.”
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Category: Government Finance, Local News, Politics
yawn…. more cheque writing while failing to address the cause of the problem….
thanks for nothing wayne and no-plan-pact
Money going to Bodden town Jamaican landlords again..?
Plenty votes there I guess.
This way of helping doesn’t make sense. So we increase taxes that only kills the middle class and this category get no reprieve. Yet you have people who deliberately sabotaged themselves by living above their means and gets a check every month plus assistance for house repairs, utilities paid, food vouchers and the list goes on. But the regular joe has to cut back on vacation, a beer with his buddies, turn on the a/c every other day just to make ends meet. Mr. premier why cant the middle class get a break on property insurance, a break on the utilities, a break on the basic foods? We not looking for hand outs, just a fair opportunity to survive.
I thought he just told everyone to cut almost 50m from their budgets?
just another day in wonderland
But spending $100,000,000 on planned new prison..
Stupid stupid stupid.
Sex education, contraception, abortions..that’s all we need .
Again the government just handing out money like its water, with no consideration to the real reason why people can’t afford to maintain their homes in the first place.
Money handed out in this way is open to corruption – oh wait, now the penny drops. Money taken from the people and given to certain people. I get it now.
‘they are required to be published within a framework of statutory reporting requirements to facilitate full transparency for the public.’
Mr Premier Sir, you keep using this ‘transparency’ word, you do know what it means right ?
So how many slumlords will accept the cash and not do anything? Why isn’t planning checking on these shacks with 8 people living in 1 room?
Vote buying. A work around for those who don’t meet the established criteria and ran crying to their blank cheque MLA’s.
Nothing to see here.
won’t be long before this is being used to serve politicians directly.
That is precisely what it’s intended for.
NDHT need to stop building standalone houses that require maintenance for people that barely qualify for mortgages. They need to build apartment complexes, with solar power, communal areas etc. One drive through most of the government housing communities will show houses is disrepair due to lack of maintenance and shoddy build quality. Build complexes which are more cost efficient, take up less space and are easier taken care of. I know government like to sell the “Caymanian dream” of owning a standalone home with a yard etc, but for most of the NHDT property recipients, it is too much. And before people comment “Caymanians are entitled to a standalone home”, no you are not. I am a Caymananian business owner who lived in an 1100sf apartment for 10 years before buying my first standalone home. I worked, lived within my means and saved until I knew I could afford to buy and maintain a home. Government are setting people up to fail at the expense of the public purse as these mortgages are guaranteed.
they need to build tower blocks
I was hoping that pensioners receiving $950 would get an increase like the veterans and seamen. We are badly in need of an increase too. We all have made major contributions to the Cayman Islands. What is good for the goose is good for the gander. Please, please help us, we are experiencing financial difficulties too.
Should have saved when you had the chance. Sell your assets or call your children for assistance.
I hoped you saved.$950 to pay CUC, water, cable, buy food and other miscellaneous bills, worse if you still have a mortgage. Have a heart and conscience!
Anyone who still has a mortgage in their retirement deserves what is coming to them.
Is it to fix houses of people who are elderly or disabled? 550K is not enough.
thats only a 33% increase…world class!!!
wayne’s plan coming along nicely….zzzzzzzzzzzzz
“Panton is currently on vacation and was not present at a special caucus meeting on Tuesday, but officials said that he supports the additional funding.”
Of course Wayne is fine with it, he has no bloody choice. One word from him and he would be removed as Premier while he is away on vacation.
Since when does Caucus have the power to make Cabinet decisions? Governor ??? helloooo?
But wait.. do we cut spending or do we ignore Wayne and spend it all ? WTF is going on ? Who is in charge here? I am getting really really concerned!
@ 9:09 pm.. if you are only now getting concerned about who is in charge, then you are late to the game. Wayne was in charge for about a month, if that. No one is in charge. This is a free-for-all with Ministers doing what they want when they want. God help us.
I hope they stop building all these roads to facilitate more development and destroying our environment.
Handouts! Nothing but handouts!
Waynecito calling for budget cuts and at the same time increasing expenditure.
It’s not the civil service spending the money; it’s the politicians!
Absurdistan.
What’s absurd is that you don’t realize that there are people in Cayman who need assistance. Get down from your high tower.
Don’t you think that revamping the insurance policies would be a lot more efficient and effective, government? Don’t you think that addressing the minimum wage would be not a better way to start, government? Don’t you think these handouts or a Band-Aid on the problem, government?